Radhanath Swami speaks on ‘Good and Evil’

“How to nourish our positive side, how to conquer greed with charity, hate with love, anger with forgiveness, apathy with compassion these are essential questions.” – Radhanath Swami

The native American Indians have a way of explaining the internal conflict within all of us. They say that within the hearts or the minds of all of us are two dogs: a good dog and a bad dog. The bad dog is howling for vengeance, for immoral reckless action. And the good dog is calling out for morality, integrity, devotion. There is a battle between the two. The dog that we feed the most is going to be the stronger of the two. And how do we feed that dog? By the choices we make every minute, every day; by the values we hold sacred. Integrity means to feed the good dog, no matter how bad and loud the bad dog barks. This is the principle of every great scripture in the world.

Both good and evil are within all of us. And because they are within all of us, we have created them in the world around us. How to nourish our positive side, how to conquer greed with charity, hate with love, anger with forgiveness, apathy with compassion these are essential questions.

To nourish the positive and to starve the negative is the real advancement of civilization. If we have the determination and if we make the right choices to nourish our divine nature, we will be victorious in life.

– Radhanath Swami